Author Stephen Robinett (b.1941), who also wrote under the pseudonym Tak Hallus died on February 16, 2004 from complications from Hodgkins Disease, which he contracted while a law student. Robinett began publishing in 1969 with the story “Minitalent” and using his Hallus pseudonym, which he claimed meant “Pseudonym” in Farsi. By the mid-1970s, he was using his own name. He published two novels, Stargate and The Man Responsible in the mid-1970s, and continued to publish short fiction until the early 1980s.

Anticipation has posted a preliminary agenda for Friday’s Business Meeting. All attending members of Anticipation are invited to attend the Business Meeting and have voting rights. The Business Meetings will take place at 10:00 AM in Palais des Congres Room 518BC on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This year’s agenda includes ratification of four motions from Denvention: recognition of Peter Weston, who makes Hugo rockets, a motion to eliminate the Best Semiprozine Hugo, a motion to make it clear work appearing on the web is eligible for Hugo consideration, and adding the Best Graphic Novel Hugo on a permanent basis. A new motion will be discussed to have future Worldcons offer a discounted rate for younger fans.

Authors Ken Scholes and Jen West (aka Jen Scholes) had a pairof twin girls on July 28 at 9AM Pacific Time. The Scholes join the Bursteins and the Buckells as sf authors who have given birth to twin girls this year.

Seattle fan Wrai Ballard (b.1924) died on July 24. Ballard was an active contributor to FAPA and official editor and contributor to SAPS. Lee Jacobs created a series of pulp-style adventures in SAPS entitled “The Ballard Chronicles,” starring a fictionalized version of Ballard. In the early 1950s, Ballard refused to publish Jacobs’s essay “The Influence of Science Fiction on Modern American Filk Music,” which inadvertantly coined the term filk because of fear that its bawdy nature could get SAPS in trouble with post office censors. Ballard thereafter promoted the typo. Ballard has been suffering from cancer.

Australian fan Kris Hembury died on July 23. Hembury was an active member of the Fantastic Queensland project and the Visions Writers group. He was awarded an emerging mentorship from Fantastic Queensland and State Development and was mentored by Marianne de Pierre.

Actress Brenda Joyce (b.1917) died on July 4. Joyce, born Betty Leabo, appeared as Jane Porter in five Tarzan films, bridging the last of the Johnny Weismuller films and the firts of the Lex Barker ones. Joyce also made genre film the Spider Woman Strikes Back and Pillow of Death.

Graphic designer Heinz Edelmann (b.1934) died on July 21. Edelmann is best known in the English-speaking world for his work as art director on the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. Edelmann’s other high profile work included the design of the mascot for the 1992 World’s Fair in Seville, Spain. Edelmann was also instrumental in book cover designs for the publishing house Klett-Cotta and had a lengthy career in poster design. He also taught art design at the Academy in Stuttgart.